Saina loses to Wang

Xin Wang was ruthless in dismissing Saina Nehwal 14-21 21-8 21-11, ending the world No 7’s campaign at the Malaysia Super Series in the quarter-finals at the Putra Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Such was the Chinese world No 10’s ferocity that a three-game match was wrapped up in 39 minutes despite Nehwal having taken the opening game comfortably. The Indian hardly seemed like she could wrest away the lead in the remaining two games.

Playing the Chinese at the same venue after almost half a year, Nehwal would have hoped for a better result than her 26-minute drubbing from their last meeting. The Hyderabad player started well, breaking away at 4-4 with three straight points in the first game and holding on with her drops and tosses and clears. Nehwal, though, struggled to come back from the early hefty leads taken by the 24-year-old Chinese in both the second and the third game and trailed throughout, with little to offer at the net or her big smash as Xin completed her second victory over the Indian with trademark hustle.